Telling Tales
by Saya Moonshadow
Summary: Roped into portraying the lead character in a play for charity, Lucy doesn't expect much good to come out of the whole affair. Secret Santa exchange, for y-a-n-d-e-r-e on tumblr. NaLu; Natsu x Lucy.


**Got involved in the Secret Santa gift exchange this year, and was asked to do something with NaLu for **_**y-a-n-d-e-r-e**_** on tumblr****! I'm afraid this one got away from me, length-wise...ah well. It was a lot of fun to write.**

**Disclaimer: Anything you don't recognize as canon most likely belongs to me, unless otherwise noted. **_**Fairy Tail**_** and all related canon belong to Hiro Mashima. **_**The Tale of Princess Asteria**_** belongs to me.**

**Telling Tales  
****By: Saya Moonshadow  
****For: y-a-n-d-e-r-e**

"Oh, come on," Mirajane said with an angelic smile that didn't fool Lucy one bit. "It'll be fun!"

"It _won't_," Lucy replied stubbornly, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm not doing it. Ask Juvia or Lisanna or someone who actually _likes_ this kind of thing."

"But they already have jobs to do and other parts to play!" Mirajane admonished, whipping a piece of paper out and practically shoving it into the younger wizard's face. Begrudgingly, Lucy took it and glared at the spots marked with their names, then at the spot marked with her own. Some were still open, however, and most ominous of all was the one that might have told her who would be playing her opposite number.

Whether that was done on purpose or not was a mystery. One never knew with Mirajane, who could switch from innocent to scheming and back again at the drop of a hat.

"Gajeel's going to come after you for this," she said mildly, pointing at Juvia's role. "You know how protective he is of her."

"Oh, that!" The Demon waved one hand airily. "I've already spoken to him about it, and he agreed to let it go so long as I added a few things to that particular portion. Like a bodyguard character, portrayed by himself, of course."

Lucy stared. "But there was no bodyguard for the younger princess!"

She flinched when Mirajane smiled beatifically at her. "See, you know this tale better than most, _and_ you care about it being told right!" she said happily. "Really, who better to play Princess Asteria than you? You'll see to it that she's in character."

Lucy swallowed. "Shouldn't I be directing, in that case?" she asked, almost weakly.

"No!" said Mirajane. "Because _I_ am directing! And as director, I get to cast whoever I think is best for a role, and I think you'd make a wonderful Asteria! Oh, you should see the dress Lisanna suggested for you! We might have to alter it a little bit to fit your specific proportions, but I've no doubt you'll look simply lovely."

Lucy tried one last time. "But I don't—"

Mirajane spoke over her, the light of determination practically shining out of her eyes. "This is also going to be performed at the orphanage, and let me tell you, they're simply over the moon about seeing it on stage. _The Tale of Princess Asteria_ is a favorite over there, it seems." She laughed happily, her eyes distant as she remembered their happiness upon being told just which story they were going to see performed.

At these words, Lucy scowled, all her protests going up in smoke. "You play dirty," she said accusingly.

Mirajane's smile widened. "Be at the guild tomorrow at eight AM sharp," she said as she got up to leave. "We're starting dress rehearsals right away, and we still have to see what adjustments your costume will need."

Lucy sighed loudly as the door to her apartment shut behind her friend, flopping backwards onto her couch and staring, disgruntled, at the ceiling. She wasn't one much for omens and the like, but she had a rather Bad Feeling about this whole affair in general that she didn't even try to shake. First and foremost in her mind was the absolute certainty that this would go awry somehow in the absolute worst way, because that was how things with their guild _always_ went. Not that she didn't have fun, but there were only so many times one could deal with this kind of thing and not begin to wonder if someone had pissed off a gypsy at some point. Their luck with planned events was abysmal, and more often than not, at least one structure wound up as a smoldering heap by the day's end.

And now this.

The last time Lucy was on stage, she had played Princess Yanderica opposite Erza as Prince Frederick, and the results had been...interesting. She'd lost her dress to Natsu's usual over-enthusiasm, Erza had somehow come down with a near-terminal case of stage fright, Gray had traumatized several people by stripping onstage, and the whole thing was an experience she had no desire to repeat. Particularly not the part about being all but naked on stage.

Then again, she'd heard no mention of Natsu being amongst the cast for this play, and that was certainly something Mirajane would have mentioned.

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief - no Natsu meant her chances of a fireball destroying her clothes were basically reduced from the usual 87% to only 20% (this was still the Fairy Tail guild and all its members, after all). Perhaps this would indeed be easier than she'd initially thought...

She sat up, feeling a little more cheerful than before. Natsu wasn't even in town now, anyway - he'd been requested for some super secret job that she privately admitted worried her, more than a week ago, with no indication when he and his crazy Exceed would return. He _would_ return, of course, this _was_ Natsu, but she couldn't help worrying about him. And maybe even missing him a little bit. After all, it was hard to get used to quiet again after so long with constant noise and mayhem!

Putting these increasingly uncomfortable thoughts aside, Lucy got up off her couch and made her way over to her bookshelf. Doubtlessly there would be changes made to the story for the stage version (and knowing Mirajane, some would probably be rather odd), but she wanted to refresh herself on _The Tale of Princess Asteria_ nonetheless.

She hadn't read this book in years, and the pages were perhaps more yellow now than they had been when she was a child. But Lucy felt happy as she opened it up and began to read, the opening text still familiar to her after so long. If she concentrated, she could still hear her father's voice saying the words as he had more than fourteen years ago, before her mother died and everything seemed to darken more and more by the day.

"_Once upon a time,_" Jude Heartfilia's voice in her mind said, "_in the days before the three realms became fully separated, a beautiful princess made her home within the Celestial Plain. Her name was Asteria, and it was said by her people that she was the most curious child in all the worlds. From a very early age, it became common for a servant or guard to have to escort her away from the Door To Other Places, the door that led to the Human Realm and, more importantly, to the Underworld, where demons reside even to this day._

"_Asteria wished with all her heart to meet a person from one of the other realms, and as she grew older, it became harder and harder to dissuade her. But her mother, the Queen of the Celestial Plain, had seen the troubles that permeated the other worlds, and, fearing for the safety of both Asteria and her younger sister, forbade it. Nothing Asteria said could change her mother's mind, and the Palace often rang with their arguments. But not once did the Princess prevail, and each one ended in the two not speaking for days._

"_As the years went by and Asteria's desire to see the other worlds grew, so, too, did the envy already burning in her younger sister's heart. This girl's name was Lomia, and she would have liked nothing more than to see her older sister gone and to take her place as future Queen of the Celestial Plain. Though she pretended to sympathize with Asteria, Lomia cursed their mother's stubbornness just as much. If only she could open the Door To Other Places for just a moment, her troubles would be over in the blink of an eye..._"

* * *

As Lucy had expected, some changes had been made for the stage version of the story. One such change was to add in the character of a Celestial Plains King, and to force a very disgruntled Bixlow into the role alongside Evergreen as the Queen.

"This is stupid," he snapped when informed of his new position. "I'd be better off as the Demon King, not some prissy guy who lives on a cloud. And why the hell can't Elfman do this? Least he'd enjoy bein' married to her." He jerked his thumb at Evergreen, who _very subtly_ kicked him in the shin with the business end of one of her high heels. The result was a loud yelp and a couple seconds of bouncing around on one foot as his dolls shouted, _"MAN DOWN! WE'RE HIT, WE'RE HIT!"_ around his head.

Lucy was somehow not surprised that their guild's weirdest child was apparently quite familiar with _The Tale of Princess Asteria_, but even she shuddered when Mirajane gave him a sweet smile. Over in the corner, Laxus snorted.

"That role is already filled," she said happily, even as the room's temperature seemed to plummet, "but I suppose we could cast someone else as the Queen if you're really _that_ opposed to this." As Bixlow's eyes trailed appreciatively over to her younger sister, who tried and failed to hide a blush, Mirajane added, "Erza has offered to fill any role left open in between the one she already has."

Bixlow paled comically and shook his head as everyone else laughed, though Lucy's curiosity was piqued. The Demon King had been cast? As early as yesterday afternoon, that spot was still empty on the list, she recalled. She wondered which poor soul Mirajane had coerced into it and how.

There was another reason for her curiosity - the Demon King was the other lead role in the play, as well as being Princess Asteria's primary love interest in the overall story. It would be a lot easier to perform if she knew just who she was going to have to be romantic with, of course, even though the very notion of it now made her intensely nervous. She had to admit that she had almost no romantic experience whatsoever besides a kiss or two from a boy when she was about twelve, and Happy's and Mirajane's (and Virgo's) occasional comments to the contrary, her many unclothed experiences with Natsu did _not_ count.

Particularly _not_ the one on the final day of the Grand Magic Games. She knew how couples acted in stories, and how Asteria and the Demon King acted. But how well would that translate on stage? And would she be able to do it?

And then she remembered Natsu in his disguise as the Great Demon Lord Dragneel, and was surprised at the fondness she felt. Lucy shook the image away fiercely. Natsu wasn't even _here_, or cast in the play. And even if he was, he was more likely to set the stage on fire than anything else.

Not proper romantic lead material, in other words.

She pushed down the slight disappointment this admission gave her and allowed Lisanna to excitedly tow her towards one of the back rooms to be fitted into her costume.

"I picked this dress out myself!" Lisanna said as she quickly took it out of the protective plastic sheath. "Soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect for you!" She held it up with a flourish.

Lucy had to admit that the Takeover wizard had a good eye for fashion, and that the dress was indeed very nice. Starting out white and then darkening to a deep blue at the hem with a golden smattering of glitter in the same place, it certainly invoked an image of the sky where the Celestial Plain was located in the story. The sleeves were made of a light, flowing see-through blue material and stopped at the middle of the upper arm. The hem of the dress would probably stop at just below her knees, Lucy thought, and it was light and flowy so as not to restrict movement. If only the dresses she'd worn at her family's mansion had been that way!

All in all, though it was by far not the grandest outfit she'd ever found herself in, she felt her mood brightening at the thought of wearing it.

"There's also going to be a tiara, but Mira-nee's still working on getting that," Lisanna explained. "And you'll be barefoot, too, just like in the story, but you'll have these criss-crossed around your shins." She held up a pair of blue ribbons, and then asked a little nervously, "Do you like it? I...I can find something else if you don't, but I thought this would look—"

Lucy cut her off before she could start babbling. "I love it," she said sincerely, and Lisanna grinned happily at her.

"Wanna try it on?" she asked.

* * *

As Mirajane had predicted, the dress would indeed need to be altered a little, mainly to accommodate her chest. Otherwise it fit wonderfully, and Lisanna whisked it away with a cheerful promise to have it taken care of within two days.

Lucy, meanwhile, was forced to go to the very first dress rehearsal and stare in amazement (and maybe a little bit of awe) at the outfit Gajeel had been shoved into.

"You actually look sort of respectable for once," Gray told him as Lucy stared, still unable to believe anyone had gotten him into it. Leather pants were one thing, but she never thought she'd see him within a mile of them. And the chains criss-crossed around his otherwise bare chest, paired with the metal cuffs on his wrists...

"Tell me that when you're actually wearin' something," Gajeel snarled, arms crossed over his chest and making his chains clink together.

Gray, predictably, looked down at his own near-nude body and yelped, looking around frantically for the outfit he had apparently discarded, once again without noticing.

Juvia bounced on her heels, smiling after his mad scramble to find his costume before either Erza or Mirajane saw him out of it. "Juvia thinks you look very good, Gajeel-kun," she said to her old friend, who actually turned a little red at her words. Gray's head snapped around so fast Lucy was almost afraid he'd break his neck.

"No, he doesn't," the Ice Maker said forcefully. "He needs a shirt - cover up, for God's sake!"

"_You_ cover up!" Gajeel snapped back. "And didn't you _just_ say I looked 'respectable' for once?!"

"Respectable, not good!"

Juvia smiled at Lucy as the two men began to bicker. "Juvia is sure you will look beautiful in your dress, too, Lucy-san," she said. "Juvia has seen it, and she has to admit, she is a little jealous!"

Lucy blushed a little at the compliment. Her relationship with Juvia had improved vastly from their first meeting, and with it, thankfully so did Juvia's attitude towards her. The Water wizard no longer saw her as a rival for Gray's affection, thank Mavis, even if she never had been to begin with. "I think you look really good, too," she replied.

Juvia's smile grew. Her dress was a little grander than Lucy's as befitting her role of Princess Lomia, though it kept the white, blue, and yellow basic color scheme. This, combined with Juvia's usual solemn resting face, would make her look every inch the princess she was portraying, though Lucy imagined she was a fair sight nicer than Princess Lomia was. She was just glad Juvia didn't seem to mind playing the role of the tale's antagonist.

"Juvia must also apologize in advance, Lucy-san," Juvia said, catching her attention again.

"For what?"

"Juvia will be sending you to the Underworld in the play," she stated seriously. "She wishes to apologize in advance for any bodily harm this may cause."

Lucy felt herself sweating slightly, but managed to keep her smile nonetheless. _Is that likely,_ she wanted to ask. Instead, she said, "Uh, I forgive you?"

Gajeel laughed meanly, barging into the conversation with his usual finesse. "See if you still do afterwards."

Before she could ask him just what the hell he meant by that, Mirajane came running over and thrust a few stacks of paper at them all - their copies of the script, Lucy saw from the cover page. Ignoring Mirajane's scramble to fix both Gray's and Gajeel's costumes while Juvia looked on in amusement, she opened it up to a random page and began to skim it.

Right away she saw that Bixlow would get to have at least a little fun, despite his misgivings about his role - the King of the Celestial Plain apparently had a mouth every bit as sarcastic as Bixlow's own, particularly where the Queen was concerned. She had a feeling this was done on purpose.

Evergreen would also be pleased with this, as she would get to give just as much sass as she received. This combined with being "the most beautiful woman in the Celestial Plain", she wasn't likely to have any complaints other than the casting for her husband.

Before Lucy could read any further, a very annoyed-looking Laxus came striding over to Mirajane. "Gramps is wondering where these idiots are," he said, pointing at Lucy, Gajeel, Juvia, and Gray. "They were supposed to start rehearsing fifteen minutes ago."

"There was a bit of trouble in the dressing room," she responded sweetly. "It's all fixed now, so please tell Master we'll be right there."

Laxus grunted and walked off the way he came, back to the main room of the guild.

"Well!" chirped Mirajane brightly, darting over to Juvia and making a small adjustment to the yellow ribbon tied around her neck. "Time to get going. Chop-chop!"

_Oh boy,_ Lucy thought unenthusiastically as they followed the Demon to where Makarov was waiting. _This is going to be SO much fun..._

* * *

They ran into their first snag right away when Evergreen adamantly refused to refer to Bixlow as "dear", "darling", or anything remotely resembling an endearment. As they argued about the merits of following the script versus one's personal pride and Mirajane stood a few feet away with a thunderous scowl on her face, Lucy remained to the left of the small makeshift stage with Juvia and heaved a sigh. If this was what each rehearsal was going to be like, then she was going to need to stock up on headache meds pronto.

Juvia patted her understandingly on the shoulder.

After finally getting Evergreen to agree to follow the script word-for-word in exchange for not suffering death-by-demon, the second snag hit when Erza, in her role as Guard Captain of the Celestial Plain, got a little _too_ into the spirit of things and smacked Lucy upside the head for arguing with her over whether or not she should be allowed through the Door To Other Places.

A ten-minute break was called as Juvia forced Gray to give up his shirt and wrap it around a small block of ice for Lucy while Gajeel unenthusiastically fanned the blonde's face and a shame-faced Erza accepted a sound scolding from the Water wizard. When Lucy woke up from her impromptu nap, she was offered the chance to repay the Knight in kind, but declined to do so.

"Let's just get this over with," she pleaded, and to her relief, Erza agreed.

The next few scenes mercifully proceeded without a hitch, though Evergreen seemed to take a rather large amount of pleasure in ordering everyone else around during her lines. This was a minor annoyance, however, and one easily brushed off.

After a hurried break for lunch, during which time Levy turned up with the news that she would be narrating the play during select scenes, it was finally time to practice the scene where Lomia's jealousy towards Asteria got the better of her.

Ignoring Gajeel's quiet snickering, Lucy clutched her script with one hand and Juvia's own hand with the other as the Water wizard "led" her to the Door To Other Places (for now just a plywood slab until Laki and her group were done making the set pieces). Lomia's plan was simple - having lured the guard stationed there away, she would beg her sister not to go through the Door while using speech that would only enflame Asteria's desire to do just that. Lucy was unsure how this was something to worry about and chalked Gajeel's laughter up to yet another of his many oddities.

"Elder Sister," Juvia began pleadingly, "Lomia begs - _I_ beg you to reconsider your curiosity. See how large and fortified the Door is! There must be some reason Mother and Father made it so; something they must want to keep out; something we are not meant to see. Oh, say you will not seek out what lies beyond it!"

"I have always dreamed of finding out what it hides," Lucy replied stubbornly, taking her hand away from Juvia's. "They cannot keep us sheltered forever, Lomia."

"Oh, but surely there are books you could read instead!" Juvia cried. "Large books with much information in them! I know it does not quite compare and there are no pictures and they are probably quite outdated by now, but would that not be better?"

"No," said Lucy. She squinted at her next line.

"Think - think of the harsh sun!" Juvia tried again. "And how different it will be! What if it is warmer or cooler down there? Lomia bets that the weather is too hot, unlike here where it is always the same and we are protected. Mother's words ring true, Elder Sister - that world, those worlds, are not for you or I!"

As Lucy read her next lines, she heard Gajeel hiss at Juvia to stop speaking in third person, then bit back her surprise at the next thing she was to do. As in the tale, she threw open the Door (here, though, she merely gave the plywood slab a little shove) and stared into the Darkness beyond it for a moment. But then, instead of adamantly jumping through it and letting it slam shut behind her (and plummeting to the Underworld as soon as she took a step forward), she bit her lip and hesitated, then turned back to "Lomia" with an apologetic smile.

"Perhaps you are right, sister," she said, standing with her back to the open Door and what lay beyond it. "Perhaps I am being too hasty. I should not be in such a rush to—" And here, Juvia took a quick step forward and gave her a shove.

Lucy, not quite expecting this, squawked as she toppled backwards past the plywood Door and then right off the makeshift stage, landing in an ungainly heap on her back.

"Lucy-san!" Juvia cried, sounding rather far away. "Lucy-san, speak to Juvia!"

"Auuugghh..." she groaned in response. Her head hurt where it had hit the floor.

Gajeel's voice spoke over Juvia's increasingly frantic one. "Dumbass, I told you to put a cushion or something down."

"Juvia did not think it would be needed!" she wailed. "Oh, what has Juvia done? Gajeel-kun, you must help her! When Natsu-san returns and sees that Lucy-san is gone, he will hunt Juvia to the ends of the earth!"

Lucy's eyes popped open at the mention of her partner (for no good reason, surely), then she groaned and shut them. She heard Gajeel snickering again.

"Of course that'd be what got her up."

She felt her face flushing, but forced herself to ignore it and opened her eyes again. Juvia was crouched over her with a worried expression on her face, Gajeel and Gray hovering behind the Water wizard and looking concerned and amused, respectively. Everyone else stared at her from wherever they were standing.

"I'm fine, no need to worry!" she said, getting onto her knees. Thank God she'd chosen to wear shorts today, or that tumble just now would have resulted in an accidental show she had no interest in giving. "Just...give me a minute."

Well, at least now she knew why Gajeel was laughing earlier. She made a mental note to sic Virgo on him later and pushed herself to her feet.

"Are we done for today?" she pleaded, looking at Mirajane and Makarov. Please let today be over already. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take, and all she wanted right now was to go home and take a long, hot bath. And peruse the script for any _other_ "surprises" that might pop up later on.

Fortunately, Makarov agreed that this was enough for the day, and she was allowed to race out of the guild doors without further ado, ignoring Juvia, Mirajane, and Erza's cries for her to come back and let them check her head. Much as she appreciated their concern, two of them had brained her today and the other was responsible for her even being there, and she was in desperate need of some alone time.

* * *

The bath was hot, her house was clean, and the ache in her head had finally subsided. Even better, her bed was soft and warm and comfortable, just as it always was, despite the fact that it had gone seven years without any use while she was trapped within the Fairy Sphere.

And yet, Lucy found herself unable to get truly comfortable as she laid there and waited for sleep to come.

There was no point in wondering why - she already knew. Part of it was that she was sort of dreading rehearsal the next day and honestly wondering if she should bring a medkit and helmet. The other (and rather larger) part, though she was sort of reluctant to admit it, was worry for Natsu, and the strange certainty that he was going to come barging in through her window as he had done so many times before.

She wondered what sort of mission he was on, and what kind of enemies he might be fighting - what kind of hardships he might be facing without her. It was rare that either of them took solo jobs anymore - not that she hadn't tried a few times, but on each occasion, he would just turn up right as she was leaving, and that was that. Of course, he'd been specially requested for this particular job, and according to Happy, whoever the client was was apparently rather insistent that _only_ Natsu show up.

So away he and Happy went (that Happy, as a non-human, would be able to go apparently went without saying), and her bedroom had been safe from late-night (or any time) invasions ever since.

_I miss him,_ she thought, with only a slight amount of embarrassment at the admission. She was so accustomed to him and his cat barging in that it seemed she no longer quite knew what to do with herself when they failed to do so.

That was a daunting thought, albeit one she couldn't muster up the energy to be mortified about just yet. What she wouldn't give for a good mission right now, but she knew she had to wait until this play nonsense was over with, at least. The performance was in three weeks, and although everyone was going to have to scramble to get everything done and every line memorized in time, she was confident they could.

She still didn't know who was playing the Demon King, however. It wasn't Gray or Gajeel, who were playing the man sent to fetch Asteria back and Lomia's bodyguard, respectively, and despite Bixlow's complaints, he was the Celestial Plain King, not the Demon. Laxus didn't seem to be participating beyond being Mirajane's personal assistant / voice of occasional reason and (slightly more often) source of bad ideas.

For a few minutes, Lucy allowed herself to indulge in thoughts of Natsu as the Demon King, chuckling when her mental image of him showed up in his "Great Demon Lord Dragneel" getup from Edolas. Wouldn't _that_ be a sight, the loud and boisterous Natsu as the calm and powerful King Yevaud? She had a hard enough time imagining him as royalty, though she supposed she didn't have to - she'd seen him in King Toma's clothes and crown during the final event of the Grand Magic Games, and was simply too exasperated at his usual over-the-top antics to be anything resembling impressed.

But, he _had_ filled out that shirt rather well...

And that was enough of _that_ train of thought, Lucy thought, feeling her face start to burn. Curse her writer's imagination! All too often it got the better of her.

Deciding to deal with everything in the morning, she was pleased to discover that she really was sleepy now and finally settled under her covers to get some rest.

* * *

The next few weeks progressed somewhat normally, or as normally as they could, given the Fairy Tail guild in general and the current circumstances.

True to her word, day three of rehearsals found Lisanna presenting Lucy with the freshly-tailored dress, and it fit perfectly. She still didn't have her crown, but neither did Juvia, Evergreen, or Bixlow, and a very apologetic Lisanna informed them they might not get them until literally right before the actual performance.

This didn't bother Lucy at all - crowns could be cumbersome and heavy, and she was more than happy with what she already had. So they'd be crown-less for a while; no big deal.

In between scenes, she watched Laxus go over the music for the play and gave her input when asked. Fortunately for everyone involved, the play was not a musical, and they would be using recordings of well-known classical music for many of the scenes.

"Why don't we come up with something of our own?" she asked Laxus one day.

"Not enough time," Laxus grunted in answer. He pointed to a stack of records sitting on the otherwise empty chair next to his own. "There's our selection. Don't like it; well, tough."

Lucy scowled at his attitude, but carefully picked up the stack and looked through it.

Well, at least he apparently had good taste in music. The choices here actually weren't that bad.

He snorted when she told him this and waved her off as Fried came walking up with another, much smaller stack.

Much to Lucy's annoyance throughout all of this, however, Mirajane steadfastly refused to tell anybody who would be playing the role of King Yevaud. She knew Makarov knew, and Laxus and Erza probably did as well, judging by their lack of reaction to this, but no one else did. And Mirajane was bound and determined to give no hints whatsoever.

"It's a secret!" she said and winked whenever asked.

This wasn't reassuring at all, to anybody. And so, when he wasn't running around on some errand for either Mirajane or Laxus, Fried consented to stand in for the role. While Lucy was grateful for his cooperation, it had to be said that Fried's acting was as wooden as the tables in the guild hall. It wasn't for lack of trying - he simply wasn't a very emotional person where Laxus wasn't concerned, and Lucy could tell that he was uncomfortable during each stand-in.

That was understandable - Yevaud and Asteria got rather touchy in a few scenes, and there was the added bonus of neither of them being interested in each other at all. Fried's attentions typically went to Laxus, and Lucy...well, it wasn't like she had much experience with that, either.

But it worried her nonetheless. If it was this difficult to simply practice those scenes with Fried, who she knew fairly well, how much harder would it be with whoever the actual actor was?

To help herself get through this, she created an image of her idea of how Yevaud looked and simply imagined this person in Fried's place. It helped a little bit, but she found the fact that more often than not her mental King Yevaud had pink hair...ever-so-slightly discomfiting.

The scenes with Gray were easier, thank Mavis. His role was that of the man the King and Queen of the Celestial Plain sent to rescue their daughter, and he did it well enough. Juvia's left eye twitched a little during their scenes, but thankfully no outbursts followed and no one was in danger of being Water Locked.

Lucy had a feeling that part of this was because Mirajane's script included a small part near the end that implied something may develop between Lomia and Daltus, Gray's character. Whatever it was, at least she wasn't in danger of suffering one of Juvia's fits, and she was grateful.

Gajeel's character had almost no lines, a fact which he bemoaned more than once. "Why does _she_ get to talk a lot, but not me?" he asked the first time and jerked his chin over at Levy, who sat on a stool to the side of the makeshift stage with a microphone, having already memorized both her own narration dialogue and the entire script some time ago.

"I'm the narrator; I have to talk a lot," she explained patiently. "You, on the other hand, are a _minor_ character."

"Less important, in other words," Bixlow quipped from the other side of the stage, then hurriedly ducked as a metal throwing star came hurtling in his direction.

Disaster (and the need for a new stage) was averted as Erza suddenly loomed up behind Gajeel, and it was with perhaps more enthusiasm than was strictly necessary that they all got back to work.

Luckily for Lucy's peace of mind during the next scene Mirajane insisted on practicing, she was not forced to kiss Fried at all, a fact he was also visibly relieved about. Once, she might have found this insulting, but instead she was just relieved. On the other hand, she had a feeling that the actual performance would be a different story. As with many fairy tales and old stories, the initial kiss shared between Asteria and Yevaud was special, though not in the usual true-love's-kiss-will-break-the-spell sort of way. It was what would originally trap Asteria in the Underworld, and Lucy was more than aware of how changing _that_ part of the story might go over with the audience, young though most of them might be. She herself probably would have reacted the same way, if only she weren't the one forced to go through with it.

She knelt next to Fried on the stage where he lay, pretending to be unconscious. "Still breathing, I see, wicked soul."

_Never again will I envy actors in lachryma visions,_ she said to herself grumpily as she leaned over Fried's prone form and stopped a few inches from his face. He squirmed a little, then breathed an audible sigh of relief when she straightened up and recited, "Curse my soft heart, for I could not just let you die as you may well deserve. But you shall live yet, demon king, I promise you that."

"_And then,"_ said Levy's voice, amplified by her microphone, _"Asteria noticed that something was very wrong."_

Accordingly, Lucy clenched one hand over her heart, bringing a worried look to her face. And if the worry was real, then who was going to call her on it? Besides having to deal with all of this and knowing was eventually going to have to kiss someone whose identity was still uncertain, what in the name of Mavis would Natsu say when he came home and found out about all of it?

...he'd probably laugh himself silly and whine about missing the performance, she decided a moment later. Not that he ever intentionally embarrassed her (at least, not anymore; that maid outfit thing at Duke Everlue's mansion being her last clear memory of him doing so), but when Natsu found something amusing, he let the world know. And this was something she could see him laughing about. Hell, she'd probably have laughed, too, if only she weren't the one in this predicament.

She shook her head and made herself focus on practicing, performing her next lines as best as she was able.

* * *

All too soon for Lucy's tastes (and the nerves of nearly everybody), the three weeks of practice shot by and suddenly it was the day of the performance.

Lucy woke up that day feeling like there was lead in her stomach. She didn't want to admit it, but she was nervous, more than she'd been in a while. She knew her lines and movements by heart, but acting them out during practice or in the privacy of her apartment with Capricorn reading for the other characters was very different from acting them out on stage in front of a ton of people.

And sure, most of them would be kids under the age of 15. But just the other day, Makarov had mentioned oh-so-casually during practice that that crazy reporter from _Sorcerer Weekly_ had _somehow_ gotten wind of the play and would be attending in order to write a piece on it for the magazine.

Lucy was sure Mirajane had something to do with this, but once again the older girl had evaded her questions with enviable ease.

She had to learn that trick one day. Really.

The knot in her stomach doubled when she went to the guild for last-minute preparations, then again when Lisanna took her by the hand and practically dragged her all the way to Magnolia's orphanage, where she and her costume were unceremoniously tossed into a bathroom stall and told to hurry up. She had just barely gotten the ribbons on her shins tied when the stall door swung open, making her yell out indignantly.

"_HEY! _Don't you know how to—"

But instead of Lisanna, as she was expecting, it was Mirajane. The older girl's hands were concealed behind her back, and she wore a soft smile that made Lucy stop in her tracks.

"You look beautiful," Mirajane told her.

Lucy frowned, suspicious and a little confused. "You've seen me dressed like this for almost the past month, Mira-san."

"Yes, but it's special this time!" Mirajane exclaimed, and whipped her arms out from behind her back. "Your costume is finally complete!"

Clutched carefully in her hands was a delicate golden tiara studded with a white crystal on its primary arch. Lucy held very still as she advanced, arranging it in her hair so that it would stay perched on top of her head until the moment came for it to be taken out.

"Juvia's is just like this, but with a blue crystal," Mirajane informed her, combing long fingers though her hair so that it fell around her shoulders. "I made a good choice, if I do say so myself. And you should see Evergreen in hers! She looks a real queen. Laxus practically had to wrestle Bixlow into his, but here we are now! Oh - are you OK?"

Lucy swallowed and gave her a smile. "Just nervous."

"You'll do wonderfully," Mirajane assured her. "You've put in a lot of work, Lucy - just remember to breathe and enjoy yourself. After all the effort you've put out so far, why shouldn't you be allowed to have a little fun doing it?"

That was only half of it, but Lucy didn't trust herself to keep talking. So she let her smile widen as she nodded, and held still as Mirajane quickly and artfully applied the needed stage makeup.

Once done, she looked at herself in the mirror and had to admit - she _did_ look good. Her mood eased up a little, and she smiled for real.

She could do this. She could.

* * *

"_Once upon a time,"_ Levy's voice began the opening narration as the curtain began to rise, _"in the days before the three realms became fully separated, a beautiful princess made her home within the Celestial Plain."_ The blue-haired girl was dressed in a simple robe and carried a small harp along with her microphone in traditional bard's style, an addition she'd made herself.

Lucy closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and did her best to immerse herself in the role she was playing.

For the next few hours, she _was_ Princess Asteria, and she was determined to play her right.

She moved through her lines carefully, finding it wasn't as terrible as she'd thought it would be. There was a minor distraction in the form of someone shouting, "COOOOOOOL!" whenever a new character came onstage, but this was quickly hushed by the other members of the audience.

Much to her relief, Erza did not attempt to wallop her over the head during their brief scene together, though she could tell by the redhead's clenching fingers that it was a very near thing - habits were hard to break, she mused, and fell into a disappointed sulk when the "Guard Captain" refused to let her through the richly-decorated Door To Other Places that Laki had designed.

That girl deserved an award for all these set pieces, truly. Most of them were near flawless recreations of the pictures in the book that contained the original tale - Laki had really outdone herself here.

The story continued, with the audience laughing at Bixlow and Evergreen's interactions as the King and Queen of the Celestial Plain, hissing when Juvia as Princess Lomia began scheming, and there were more than a few small cries of, "Look out!" from the younger kids when it came time for the Door To Other Places to finally open.

Then came the moment Lucy had been awaiting with mixed dread and anticipation. "Perhaps you are right, sister," she said with her back turned to the open Door. "Perhaps I am being too hasty. I should not be in such a rush to—"

As expected, Juvia stepped forward and pushed her, and she yelped in only half falseness as she fell from the raised platform they stood on. The stage went completely dark as she landed on the cleverly disguised cushions lying beneath the Door and then stood up, making sure her crown was on properly and her dress wasn't too messed up as she hurried to the ladder behind the left wing of the stage. As she climbed, she heard the sounds of Laki's team quickly switching out the stage props from the Celestial Plain to the portion of the Underworld where Yevaud and Asteria first encountered one another.

She took a deep, nervous breath - Fried had done well enough in this scene, but would the actual actor be able to do it properly? Would he catch her the way he was supposed to, or would she be dropped?

"_Asteria fell a very long way,"_ said Levy. _"She fell past the Human Realm despite her best efforts to catch herself, and those humans who saw her as she went could see only the golden light that all people of the Celestial Plain emitted, and they thought she was a shooting star. Some even made wishes upon her. But within moments, she was gone even from their sight."_

The curtains began to open and Lucy closed her eyes, psyching herself to drop into the middle of the stage. Hopefully - oh, Mavis, _please_ \- the person down there would catch her. Even if it was the Natsu had caught her when she jumped out of Jose Porla's tower so long ago—

She fell, willing herself against the instinctive urge to scream, but couldn't stop the huff of breath that came rushing out of her when a pair of arms caught her suddenly and broke her fall.

_Warm_ arms, these. Very warm, and so was the body they were attached to. And...familiar, awfully familiar. What—?

"_Fortune favored her in a rescue,"_ said Levy's amplified voice, _"but whether it favored her in its choice of rescuer was another matter entirely, for who should have been walking through the Underworld that day but its King, the great demon Yevaud."_

...she wanted to open her eyes, but the script called for an unconscious Princess Asteria for the moment. Soon, though. Soon she would know who—

"The sky has favored me with a gift," said a very familiar voice, one that made her whole body stiffen up in shock. "But what a curious gift this is."

Mavis Vermilion, stars above, holy crap, it couldn't be.

But she knew that voice, and knew these arms. Knew them on an almost ridiculous level, in fact, and it was really only the force of her shock that kept her from leaping away and bolting off to find and throttle Mirajane.

That was Natsu's voice, and these were Natsu's arms she was in. Natsu was King Yevaud in this play. Of all people.

_What the actual hell. How? And why?!_

It really was a good thing she was supposed to remain still and unconscious. She needed the time to adjust before she could even think about acting again.

_But,_ one part of her piped up suddenly, _isn't this good? We know Natsu. We work well with him. We are comfortable around him. This is not a bad outcome._

That was a good point, but she still wanted answers. Several of them, in fact, from several people, most prominent among them being Natsu himself. And also Mirajane. Oh, when she got her hands on that girl—!

"Majesty," called out another voice, and she recognized it as Max, who was playing one of Yevaud's subjects. "Majesty, are you unharmed? What was that light?"

She felt Natsu shifting so his back was to his "underling". It was odd how easily he moved even with her in his arms. "I am unharmed," he said. "Go back now, Veld. I will be there soon."

When the sound of Max's footsteps faded into the right wing of the stage, Lucy steeled herself. She began to squirm, acting as if she had only just started to wake up, and opened her eyes.

Natsu stared down at her, his expression calm and completely at odds with how he normally behaved. "Ah, she wakes!" he said and put her down, but kept a firm grip on her wrist so she couldn't run away. "And who might you be, and what? A fallen star, or an exile from above?"

"I...I am neither," Lucy replied, pretending to struggle to get away. As expected, his grip was too strong even had her efforts been real, but it didn't hurt. He held her tightly enough to keep her in place, but not so tight as to harm her. Typical Natsu, in other words. Though there had been plenty of times when he'd accidentally gotten her during battle with a wide-range or misaimed attack, it was never on purpose, and thus far he had never intentionally harmed her. "I beg your pardon for intruding, sir, it was not my intention."

"Then what business do you have in this land?" Natsu asked, leaning towards her, his eyes narrowed dangerously. She shuddered in response, but was shocked to realize that it was not from fear. "Know that you have trespassed on the personal territory of the Demon King, girl, and I do not take such disrespect lightly!"

Appropriately, Lucy gasped and began to struggle harder, her wrist feeling cold when his grip broke and he let go of her. "Th-the Demon King!" she cried, pressing a hand to her heart and taking a step back. Natsu advanced a step when she did, which...wasn't in the script. She continued her lines, regardless. "Of all the people I could have met, this is true misfortune!"

She moved away from him and spoke to the audience. "Truly I was a fool for desiring this all my life! I must not allow him to catch me. Surely there must be some way to escape, but oh - if only I may find it!"

The narration took over then, and she froze in place, staring into the sky but also hyperaware of Natsu's gaze on her. He was _supposed_ to do that, of course, but for Mavis' sake, it was embarrassing. She didn't care that he was acting; the intensity of that look was getting to her!

"_Though he remained fierce and suspicious on the outside,"_ Levy narrated from her stool, _"Yevaud was truly curious about the girl who had quite literally dropped on top of him from the sky, but if she would be a gift or a curse was uncertain. He had learned from bitter experience to be wary of unexpected offerings, no matter the source. One way or another, he decided, he would have to be cautious."_

"I asked you a question, fallen star," Natsu growled when Levy was finished speaking, and Lucy swung around to face him again. "Are you a threat? Are the humans breaking in again?"

"I-I have never met a human," Lucy replied. "My name is Asteria, sir, and I swear, I did not mean to fall into your realm. I did not mean to fall at all!"

It was so odd to be pleading like this to Natsu, who would give her the benefit of the doubt no matter the situation. But then again, that was how acting went. You often found yourself doing or saying things you never would have thought of on your own.

And really, outside of battle, she never thought she'd see Natsu looking this...this...whatever it was!

Apparently he'd kept at least a portion of his Great Demon Lord Dragneel getup, because he had on the horns, but the costume he was wearing was actually kind of regal. It was also artfully tattered, to show that while he was indeed royalty, Yevaud still ruled over a very dangerous land that wasn't half as prosperous or peaceful as the others were.

And curse it all, but he looked _good_ in that outfit. _Very_ good. Well, he looked good a lot of the time, it was just that this blasted outfit was very complementary to just about everything. Yeah. That was it, of course.

The scene continued with "Yevaud" peppering "Asteria" with questions and getting increasingly certain of the thought that she was a threat to him and his people as she struggled to answer him properly without giving away who she really was. Soon, this culminated in her words being taken completely wrong when she, believing it to keep him from attacking her, mentioned that someone should be along to find her shortly. Taking this as a threat of invasion, he moved to attack her, and she ran.

Running around the stage with Natsu chasing after her was another odd feeling - if he'd really wanted to, he probably would have caught her by now. But Lucy was spared thoughts of Natsu capturing her when Nab, in the guise of a monster, appeared from the right wing of the stage and attacked her as well.

However good he apparently was at acting, Lucy felt very sure that the roar Natsu let out just then was at least a little real, and her astonishment was not entirely faked when "Yevaud" rescued her from the said monster at the cost of a mortal wound to himself.

Nab retreated back behind the stage, Natsu lay unmoving on the floor, and Lucy froze in place as she realized what scene this now was.

She didn't dare glance at Levy for confirmation - her friend was also narrating "Asteria's" shock that "Yevaud" had saved her from such a terrible beast. And as laughable as the thought of Nab as a "terrible beast" was, Lucy had to work very hard to make herself move to the fallen "demon's" side.

"S-still breathing, I see," she said, laying her hand over his heart. He was warm, just as he always was. "Wicked soul..."

Technically this wasn't a kiss - it was Asteria trying to use her powers as a Celestial to heal Yevaud. But it would be her first time doing this sort of thing in years, the last time being just a peck when she was about eleven or so, and she was jittery no matter how tried to justify it to herself.

_Oh, who cares! _she railed at herself. _It's not a kiss! _And before she could argue with that thought, she leaned down and pressed her lips to his.

The world around her did not stop, but it certainly seemed to slow down a little. Chief among her thoughts now was that this didn't feel bad at all - not awkward, either, as the idea of doing this with Fried had been. Mavis, this was—

Hurriedly, Lucy straightened up and recited, "Curse my soft heart, for I could not just let you die as you may very well deserve. B-but you shall live yet, demon king, I promise you that."

"_And then,"_ said Levy with just a slight note of amusement in her voice - add Ms. McGarden to the ever-growing list of people to sic Virgo on - _"Asteria noticed that something was very wrong. Her body, which had previously been glowing softly with the light that all people from the Celestial Plain had, was no longer glowing. Terror gripped her heart, for without this special light, she could not return home to her parents and traitorous sister. In saving King Yevaud's life, she had given up the thing that granted her entry to the Celestial Plain, and she had no idea how to get it back. Or even if she could."_

Lucy clasped her hands over her heart and pretended as if she were about to cry as the curtain fell - the signal to switch to the next scene.

She had intended to go over to Natsu and demand answers - what was he doing here, why was he in the play, why had no one told her about it - but before she could, Erza hurried out, grabbed him by the foot just as he was beginning to get up, his gaze locked on Lucy as well, and literally dragged him off the stage.

Lucy blinked, a little annoyed, but then quickly darted off the stage as well so that Laki and her team could set up the next scene. From the wings, she watched as the King and Queen of the Celestial Plain discovered that their daughter was gone and in the midst of their distraught hysteria (Evergreen in particular was very good at throwing fits, and Bixlow was obviously no stranger to acting, leading her to wonder just how often he'd done this in the past), they were informed by their Guard Captain that the Door To Other Places had been opened recently. She snickered when Evergreen swooned and fell into the arms of Bixlow, who looked for a split second like he was very tempted to drop her. He shouted for order as their servants scurried around in a frenzy, and that was when their younger daughter appeared.

Lucy had to hand it to Juvia, she could turn on the waterworks when needed. The blue haired girl wailed and tearfully explained to her "father", and slowly-waking "mother", that she had tried very hard to stop Asteria from doing it, she really had! "But she ignored me, Father," she sighed, wiping away a tear," and then she opened up the door and -oh! I can hardly bear to say it, but she leaped out without another word!"

The "Queen" promptly passed back out, and there was a little grit in Bixlow's voice as he asked, "Why did you not report this to us straight away?"

"I was so distraught I could hardly believe it!" Juvia cried. "I could only leave and pray that i was dreaming! Oh, forgive Lo— forgive me Father!"

Gray's character of Daltus was then called in and given the task of finding Asteria, which he readily agreed to; swearing to bring her back no matter what it took. All throughout his lines, Lucy noticed his left hand fidgeting with the hem of his shirt - no doubt he was fighting the instinct to to remove it. Due to the stage lights, it was warm for just about everybody up there. She could only imagine what it might be like for Gray. The poor guy must have been sweltering.

Luckily though, he managed to keep his clothes on for the entire scene, right up to the point where the King and Queen deigned to help him descend to the Human Realm so he could begin his search for Asteria.

The curtain dropped, and Levy began to explain that Daltus' search of the Human Realm would be both long and in vain. And as soon as he was hidden from the audience's sight, off came the shirt.

"Do you have to do that?" Max asked exasperatedly as Gray fanned himself with the removed article.

Gray paid him no mind, however, and moved to intercept Juvia as she ambled towards him, Gajeel, Evergreen, and Bixlow in tow. She immediately began praising his performance while berating Gajeel for his muttered, snarky comments. They were all quickly shushed by Erza, who was not pleased by the level of noise they were starting to make.

Lucy wanted very badly to go over to her and ask about Natsu (just one answer, seriously!) but there was no time - the stage had been changed back to the Underworld, and she was needed. Perhaps she could ask Natsu herself before it started? Now that the initial shock had worn off (the irritation was also decreasing, but more slowly), she found it truly curious.

Wasn't he supposed to be on some sort of mission right now? And if he was back in town, why had he not come to see her right away? She was worried about him, damn it!

She watched as he came back out onto the stage, nearly tripping over Laki as she made the final adjustments to the last set piece, and then carefully laid himself down on the floor and closed his eyes. Once he was settled, she steeled herself and took her place next to him, accepting the bucket and handkerchief Asteria tended to Yevaud with from Laki, and then she looked at Natsu as she waited for the scene to begin.

"Natsu?" she asked quietly.

"Shh!" he hissed, not opening his eyes. "I'm unconscious."

Lucy narrowed her own eyes at him, though, of course, he didn't see it. She could swear he was trying not to smile - what exactly was so funny here?

"I need to—"

The curtain began to rise; and she quickly shut her mouth, leaning over him with a worried expression and dabbing at his forehead with the handkerchief. This was _not_ over; though, oh no. Not by a long shot. If he thought he was going to get away with not explaining all this to her, then he was sorely mistaken!

...she _was_ glad to know that he was OK, however. That was indeed a relief and a fair bit of weight off her mind.

"_While the brave Daltus was beginning his search in the Human Realm,"_ said Levy, _"Asteria was tending to King Yevaud, who had yet to awaken after saving her life. Though she was still frightened of him and of the fact that she'd lost her Celestial light, she refused to abandon him after his rescue of her. To do so would be very unkind, and she could not bring herself to consider it. However, it would not be until over a day had passed that Yevaud finally awakened..."_

Natsu groaned as if just waking up, then opened his eyes blearily. He started when he saw her, attempting to get up, but gave another groan, this one of pain, and had to lay back down.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" Lucy asked, wiping his forehead with the handkerchief. "You should not move. That was a fair wound the beast dealt you, sir."

"Yevaud" glared up at her suspiciously, making Lucy wince internally. Natsu had never looked at her like that before, and while she knew it was an act, it still caused an unpleasant feeling to bloom in her chest.

"What do you have planned for me?" he asked harshly. "If you had intent to kill me, you missed it. I—"

"I healed you," she said quickly, gazing hard into his eyes. "Nor do I have any plans for you...or for myself." She looked down at her lap. "I am lost and cannot go home, not in my current state. I have made several mistakes as of late, it seems, and I pray that saving you was not one of them."

In the original tale, this act of rescue was what caused Yevaud to start developing feelings for Asteria. It was one of Lucy's favorite parts, and she almost shivered now, as Natsu said quietly, "Why can you not go home? All others of your kind have had no troubles doing so."

"I have lost my Light," she said, still looking at her lap. "Without it, I can no longer return to my home. I...have nowhere to go."

"You are...Celestial?" Natsu asked, sounding surprised. "A Celestial maiden has fallen into my realm? How did this happen? The Celestial Plain has ever been far removed from us!"

She went on to explain that her sister had tricked her into opening the Door To Other Places and then pushed her through once it opened. She also explained that in healing him of his wound, she had somehow lost her Light, though she'd no idea how or why.

"_And the girl in front of him looked so hurt and lost that Yevaud found himself making a most strange offer indeed,"_ said the narrator.

"In gratitude for saving my life," the "Demon King" said, "I open my home to you. You may stay until you find the means to return to your own realm. But," he added as "Asteria" brightened slightly, "do not expect a warm reception from my people. We are suspicious creatures, and you are unlike those that dwell in this land." He stood up with some effort and held out his hand. "Do you accept this offer, fallen star?"

"_Asteria hesitated for but a moment,"_ said Levy as Lucy did just that, _"and then, realizing her only other option would be to stay here, she put her hand in his and said..."_

"Yes."

And the curtain dropped.

* * *

To Lucy's annoyance, Natsu was once again dragged away before she could ask him anything, this time by Wendy, who at least gave her an apologetic smile as she towed the older dragon slayer off by the hand. Lucy was then left to vacate the stage herself so the next scene could be set up.

The play proceeded normally from there, with Daltus searching the Human Realm for months in vain and gaining sparing clues there, Lomia monologuing at her long-suffering guard about her plans for if Daltus did indeed manage to bring her sister back, the Celestial King and Queen worrying about their older daughter together and sniping at each other in between, and Asteria gradually winning over the Demon King's servants, as well as the Demon King himself, all the while falling in love with him in turn. She was still concerned about getting back her Light and returning home, but much to the Princess's own surprise, she soon found herself wanting more and more to stay here, a fact that conflicted her deeply in her heart.

Then came the second scene she was halfway dreading and halfway anticipating. It took place on top of Yevaud's castle, where Asteria often spent her nights staring up at the sky and wondering if she would ever get back to the Celestial Plain. Yevaud came up to join her that night, intent on asking her if she would consider staying with him forever (goaded on by his loyal servants, of course), and Lucy had no trouble at all up until he covered her hand with his.

The stagelights were making her hot already, but not she felt like all the heat in her body was centered on that one point of contact. It was disconcerting enough that she nearly forgot her next line and had to pause for a second to remember it.

"I begin - I begin to despair of ever going home," she said, not looking at him though he kept his gaze fixed firmly on her. Couldn't he look somewhere else?! "Months it has been, and yet I am no closer to regaining that which I lost."

"Your frustration is understandable," said Natsu. "But you..." He trailed off and shook his head. "Never mind. Please continue. If you need anything of me, you need only ask."

"You were about to suggest something, were you not?" Lucy asked. "What is it?"

They stared at each other for a very long moment, and she felt her heart start to pound. _It's an act,_ she reminded herself fiercely, but this did absolutely no good - her heartbeat remained fast. _An act, curse it!_

"I..."

His hand was still covering hers, and it flexed now, closing over hers more securely for a moment before letting go completely. He stood up. "Never mind, please. I am sorry for intruding on your private time, Asteria. I will leave you to your thoughts now."

As he turned away from her to leave, it was more impulse and less acting that made Lucy stand as well and grab him from behind by the arms, causing him to freeze in place. "No," she said. She leaned her forehead on to his back. "Don't go. Please don't go."

This was very reminiscent of right after he had defeated the Rogue that had come from the future, and the one that killed her own future self. She had grabbed him from behind then, too, though that time she had actually hugged him. Even with that difference, just as he had then, Natsu now remained still in her hold.

"It is not me who might leave," he said. "If there is anyone who should be afraid of being left behind, it is me."

Lucy looked up at him, though he did not look back at her. "What...do you mean?" she asked. She knew what was coming, and it set her stomach fluttering like crazy. But there was no dread, not anymore; something that surprised her greatly. She...was looking forward to what would come next.

"I am a demon, Asteria," said Natsu, sounding tired. "As much as I wish for your happiness, and as much as I am aware that going home would give you that, I cannot bring myself to wish for it. I...do not want you to leave."

Once again, it was less through acting and more through impulse that she moved now, slipping her arms around his waist and hugging him from behind. One of his hands reached up and covered hers, squeezing it tightly.

"I...must confess something as well," she said. "I do not want to leave either. Being away from you...the thought fills me with grief. If I could and if you would let me, I would stay here with you forever."

Natsu turned around then, breaking out of her grip and grabbing her by the shoulders. Mavis, that would have been frightening if it were anyone else! But this was Natsu, who she trusted implicitly and more than anyone else. He did not frighten her and never had.

"You swear it?" he asked, staring down at her earnestly with his eyes wide. "You would stay here?"

"I must let my parents know that I am well and safe, and of what Lomia did," she said back, moving her hands to grasp his arms, "but once that is done, I promise that I will never leave you alone."

And now here it came.

She leaned up and Natsu leaned down, and their lips touched. Once again, time did not really stop, but it certainly slowed down, and Lucy could not quite tell herself that this was not a kiss because it certainly was. Acting or no, this was very definitely a kiss. And curse her to heaven and back, but she was enjoying it more than she ever thought she might.

However, this was better than it had been earlier on, because this time, Natsu was able to reciprocate. He could not have had much more experience than she (which was very little), but he made a little noise against her mouth and deepened it after only a moment.

That...was not in the script. The script called for a short, sweet kiss between Yevaud and Asteria before the scene progressed. But, oh, what did it even matter?

She parted her lips for him and let him touch her tongue with his own, and the sound he made at that was deeply satisfying in ways she hadn't known before. That was definitely something she'd have to go about getting a repeat of at some point. Right now would be good, actually. Very good.

This might have continued for much longer than was appropriate, had Gray not chosen to move the play along its scripted course. He did so with an embarrassed-sounding "Ahem!" from the side of the stage he came out from, and Lucy squeaked and jumped away from Natsu as a very excited exclamation of "COOOOOL!" came from the back of the room, followed by a chorus of shushes from the rest of the audience.

The narration picked up then, sounding a little breathless. A quick glance at Levy showed Lucy that the other girl was grinning widely from ear to ear and fanning herself with her small harp as she spoke. _"The moment between the two was interrupted by the arrival of Daltus, who, following the clues he'd found in the Human Realm, had deduced that Asteria must have landed in the Underworld,"_ she said ominously. _"Daltus, who cared very deeply for Asteria himself, was utterly shocked to find her in the arms of the Demon King, and drew his own conclusions about the matter..."_

"Asteria" quickly backed away as "Daltus" advanced, shouting at "Yevaud" to get away from her. Her delivery of her next lines was shaky, she knew, but she hoped everyone else would chalk it up to merely acting. Her knees still trembled, and it was a job not tripping over herself as "Daltus" decided that "Yevaud" must have forced her into kissing him, and there was more than a little growl in Natsu's voice as he answered.

Fortunately, the fight between the two men did not destroy the stage, though this was probably because of the fact that Erza and Mirajane were watching from the wings of the stage to make sure that this didn't happen. In the end, just as "Yevaud" was about to strike the final blow, "Asteria" leaped in front of him and distracted him at a crucial moment.

Quickly, "Daltus" reached out, shoved her out of the way, and struck "Yevaud" down. He then dragged "Asteria" away as she screamed for the Demon King, and the curtain closed once again to Levy's voice.

"_Unable to break away from Daltus' hold, Asteria watched as the man she had come to love fell to the ground, a blade in his chest. She could not tell if he lived or not. Daltus did not let her go, and he dragged her all the way back to the Celestial Plain as she cried and pleaded for him to let her go. However, her missing Light would prove to be a problem, for only those who possess that golden radiance may survive for long within that place..."_

The scene changed, with "Daltus" hauling her back to the Celestial Plain, and as soon as they crossed the threshold of the Door To Other Places, Lucy cried out and fell to her knees, clutching her heart and gasping for breath.

"Asteria! Are you well?" Gray's voice sounded actually concerned, Lucy noted with some amusement, even through the still-lingering embarrassment.

"Don't...don't touch me!" she cried, shoving him away when he tried to help her up. It wasn't hard to pretend to be upset - Natsu had gotten hurt on her behalf enough times that seeing him like that had caused a little jolt to her heart, no matter how fake it had been. "You killed him! You _killed him!_"

He argued with her for a moment more, then half-carried her to see her parents, who were thrilled and relieved to have her back. Lucy had to give Evergreen a small pinch on the side to get the older woman to let up on the suffocating hug she blindsided her with, then acted shocked and afraid when Juvia as Lomia entered the room as well, though she pretended like nothing was wrong to avoid a confrontation before it was due.

All the while she took frequent moments to clutch at her heart and fight for breath, pretending like her lack of Celestial Light was indeed taking its toll on her, a fact which her "family" was quick to acknowledge, though they didn't know the reason why. And Asteria, for reasons Lucy had never been too sure of to begin with in the story, was unwilling to divulge the true reason behind her ailment. In any case, the Queen quickly decided that her daughter must be suffering from a case of shock and exhaustion from her long "imprisonment" in the Underworld, and ordered her to go rest in her room until further notice.

It continued with "Asteria" getting sicker and sicker while worrying over "Yevaud", and "Lomia" ranting at her guard about getting rid of her once again before she could divulge to their parents why and how she had disappeared in the first place. Meanwhile, their parents had decided to have "Asteria" marry "Daltus", as his reward for rescuing her from the Underworld, something she did not take well to and which resulted in a very loud argument.

The energy she exerted during this argument caused her symptoms to flare, and it was during this moment that "Lomia" realized what was ailing her sister so terribly. Her planning accelerated, and at the next available opportunity, she went to "Asteria's" room and began to speak with her. "Asteria", though still afraid and wary of her younger sister, deigned to listen to her words.

"_Asteria did not for a moment believe Lomia's apology or that the incident in question was an accident,"_ said Levy seriously, _"but she knew she was at the end of her rope. If she did not find a way to either regain her Light or leave the Celestial Plain, then she would die. And it had to be admitted that a life without Yevaud was not a life she wished to lead. She had no way of knowing if he had even survived Daltus' attack, and she blamed herself for distracting him even though she hadn't wanted to see Daltus hurt either. But even as she considered ways to try to return to Yevaud and how she could possibly continue to live if he had died, Lomia began to put her own plan into action."_

Lomia's plan, as it turned out, was to expose her sister's lack of Light in front of their parents and the whole court, though the revelation that Asteria had fallen for the Demon King was a surprise to everyone. What she did not account for, however, was her guard's unwillingness to support her any longer.

Lucy saw a distinct triumphant gleam in Gajeel's eyes as he spoke for the first and final time in the play, coming to her defense and regaling Bixlow and Evergreen with "Lomia's" scheming and deeds, and (sort of begrudgingly, given that he was Gajeel) apologizing to Asteria for not speaking up sooner. He then stood to the side and she heard a distinct mutter of, "Maybe I would have if I'd had any other damn lines!" as she passed him to go to Bixlow. Juvia, meanwhile, was being loosely held in place with her hands behind her back by Erza to await her punishment.

"Sweetheart," the Seith wizard said as he took her by the hands, and wasn't _that_ something she never thought she'd hear out of his mouth, "it is true, then? Your Light is lost?"

She nodded sadly and explained, "It happened when I healed the Demon King of a mortal wound, Father. When I was finished healing him, my Light had left me completely." She gave a small cry. "Even if I return to the Underworld, it matters not. He is, in all likelihood, dead, and I fear I shall soon join him if he is!"

Bixlow and Evergreen exchanged a glance, and then Evergreen asked, "You are certain that it was lost in healing him?"

Lucy answered in the affirmative, then pretended to be utterly shocked when her "mother" went on to explain that during her healing of Yevaud, she had given him her Light and tied her own life to his, and as long as one lived, so, too, would the other. And though it grieved them terribly to have to let her go, it would be impossible to take it back from him and she could obviously no longer survive in the Celestial Plain.

"Lomia", meanwhile, was to be banished, but to the Human Realm, to live out her days pondering on her misdeeds and never returning to her home either. And "Daltus", taking pity upon her and feeling a massive amount of guilt over what he had inadvertently put "Asteria" through, offered to accompany her to make sure she was safe.

After a tearful goodbye to her "parents", during which she once again had to forcibly extract herself from their embrace (Mavis, she needed to have a talk with Laxus about helping those two deal with their emotions better), "Asteria" prepared to step back through the Door To Other Places.

This time, rather than being pushed through, she jumped by herself, down to land on the cushion that had once again been placed below the raised platform it stood on, then she raced to the side of the stage to wait for the set pieces to be changed back to those of the Underworld.

It was a lot easier this time to drop from the top of the stage, because now she knew just who would be there, and there was no question of whether or not he would catch her.

To match the scene where she first dropped, she once again landed in a pair of very familiar arms, and had to keep herself from grinning when Natsu's voice said, "The sky has favored me with a gift, but what a curious gift this is!"

The curtain dropped for the final time.

* * *

It wasn't until almost two hours later that Lucy was finally able to track Natsu down and drag him away, after being forced back on stage for the audience to cheer over the whole cast not once, but twice, and she had never in her life been so glad to get away from everybody.

She took his hand, and he didn't protest when she looked him in the eye and said seriously, "I need to talk to you."

"Figured you would," he said, and with a nod at Mirajane, who he'd been speaking with previously and who sported a very teasing smile on her face now, he allowed her to lead him away.

Most of the building was still crawling with people, and she wasn't willing to have Jason the reporter sneak up on them as she'd seen him do to Levy, Gajeel, Juvia, and Erza already to ask for a short interview, so she opted to take him outside despite the fact that it was cold and her costume was decidedly not meant for such temperatures. But Natsu's hand in hers was warm, and when he saw her shivering, he squeezed it a little bit and she felt his natural heat spreading from her hand to the rest of her body.

There were a bunch of questions she wanted to ask, but what first came out was, "What are you doing back? What about your mission?"

Natsu looked a little surprised, but answered easily enough. "This, ah, _was_ my mission," he said a little sheepishly. He grinned at her own surprise. "I didn't really believe it at first either, when I found out it was Mira who'd asked for me, and what she wanted me to do, but it worked out pretty well, huh? I didn't even burn down the stage this time!"

He looked very proud of himself for this fact, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"So for the entire past month, you've just been practicing?" she asked.

Natsu nodded. "I never actually left the town," he explained. "Gildarts met me and Happy at the train station and told me there'd been a change of plans, then dragged me off before I could protest. Next thing I know, I'm being fitted for some weird costume and being made to practice for hours each day. It was torture, I tell ya!" He scowled, but then said almost shyly, "But I...think it worked out pretty good."

It had. It really had; she was not going to disagree with that.

"I'm glad you're back now," she said, and wasn't that the understatement of the year?

Natsu grinned at her, and she smiled back.

"Do you want to get Happy and head home?" she asked. "You wouldn't believe how many nights I kept expecting you two to climb in through my window the past month!"

"Thought you hated it when we did that?"

She gave a little mock huff and took his hand again. Somehow, this didn't feel awkward at all. Neither of them brought up the fact that they'd kissed twice today, and that was fine for now. She would mention it to him later once they were both rested, and though she had the feeling that her embarrassment over it would return twofold once they did, she was fine with simply having him back for the moment.

They left the theater to find Happy and then return home by themselves, hand-in-hand.

* * *

**END.**


End file.
